Sociology of Deviance

Deviance involves actions and behaviors that violate social norms.
- Can include formally enacted rules (e.g., crime) and informal violations (e.g., rejecting folkways and mores).
- Positive deviance exists in certain situations where violation is not deemed negative.

Social norms vary across societies and cultures.
- An act deemed deviant in one culture may be acceptable in another.
- Social norms evolve over time, altering perceptions of deviance.
Example: Killing is generally wrong; however, allowed in warfare or self-defense contexts.

Mala in se: Actions considered inherently immoral, like murder and rape.
Mala prohibita: Actions that are illegal but not inherently immoral, like drug use.
Formal deviance: Violations of laws (e.g., crimes).
Informal deviance: Violations of unwritten social rules (e.g., dress codes).
Major norms in society include mores, which hold moral significance and oppose taboos.
Taboo: Strong social prohibition against certain behaviors, considered deviant by the majority.
- Comes from Tongan word “tapu” meaning prohibited or forbidden.
- Examples include murder, rape, incest, etc.

Deviance can reflect individuality and identity.
It can be a form of rebellion against dominant cultural norms in favor of sub-cultures.

Concerned with how various societal factors interact to form cohesive systems.
- Key theorists: Émile Durkheim, Robert Merton.

Functions of Deviance:
  1. Affirms Cultural Values: Virtue defined through the contrast of vice.
  2. Defines Moral Boundaries: Society learns right from wrong through deviance.
  3. Promotes Social Cohesion: Serious deviance prompts collective reaction.
  4. Encourages Social Change: Deviance challenges social norms and pushes boundaries.
Collective Conscience: A set of shared norms that guide behavior; vital for social integration and regulation.
Suicide Types:
  1. Altruistic Suicide: Over-integration into society.
  2. Egoistic Suicide: Insufficient integration into society.
  3. Anomic Suicide: Lack of social regulation leads to aimlessness.
  4. Fatalistic Suicide: Excessive social regulation.

Defines deviance in relation to societal goals and means to achieve them.
- Anomie: Discrepancy between societal goals and legitimate means of achieving them.
Describes five types of deviance based on acceptance/rejection of goals:
  1. Innovation: Accepts goals but rejects means (e.g., theft).
  2. Conformity: Accepts both goals and means.
  3. Ritualism: Rejects goals but accepts means.
  4. Retreatism: Rejects both goals and means (e.g., substance abuse).
  5. Rebellion: Rejects societal goals and means, replaces them with own values.

Refers to communication patterns during social interactions that define reality.
Key Principles (Herbert Blumer):
  1. People act based on meanings ascribed to things.
  2. Meanings arise from social interactions.
  3. Meanings are modified through interpretive processes.

Criminal behaviors are learned through social interactions.
- More exposure to favorable definitions of deviance leads to engagement in deviance (e.g., gangs).

Developed by Frank Tannenbaum and Howard Becker; central to symbolic interactionism.
Deviance results from societal labels that individuals internalize, leading to self-fulfilling prophecies.
Labels can stigmatize individuals and influence their future behavior, fostering deviant identities.

Primary Deviance: Initial acts of deviance before societal labels are applied.
Secondary Deviance: Acts committed after being labeled deviant as a reaction to the labeling.
Retrospective Labeling: Recognizing deviant acts prior to label.
Prospective Labeling: Anticipating future deviant acts based on labeling.

Weak bonds to society lead to increased deviance; strong bonds deter it.
Bonds consist of four factors: opportunity, attachment, belief, and involvement.

Focuses on social and economic forces causing deviance.
- Powerful groups define norms; laws often serve the interests of those in power.
Marxist perspectives link deviance to capitalism and exploitation.

Modern power mechanisms subtly control individuals through social norms instead of overt oppression.
Institutions impose discipline that shapes societal norms and behaviors.

Propose biological factors as contributors to deviant behavior (e.g., Cesare Lombroso's theory).
- Early theories posited genetic predispositions for criminal behavior but have been largely discredited.

Founded by Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham; utilitarian perspectives on law and punishment.
- Advocated for proportional punishments to deter deviance effectively.

Police: Enforce laws and maintain public order, using discretion based on context.
Courts: Engage in adversarial legal processes, often favoring plea bargaining.
Corrections Systems: Community-based corrections aimed at rehabilitation but may not reduce recidivism.

Antisocial behavior, nonconformity, political abuse of psychiatry, victimology, and workplace deviance.